Residential lease application requirements

A. A lessor shall not require payment of an application fee unless, prior to accepting the payment, the lessor gives written notice of all of the following: (1) The amount of the application fee. (2) Whether the lessor considers credit scores, employment history, criminal history, or eviction records in deciding whether to rent or lease to the applicant. (3) That the applicant may share, in good faith, a statement of two hundred words or less explaining that the applicant has experienced financial hardship resulting from a state or federally declared disaster or emergency and how that hardship impacted the applicant's credit, employment, or rental history. (4) The lessor's notice regarding the statement of financial hardship shall reference the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricanes. B. Notice required by this Section may be delivered, stored, and presented by electronic means if the electronic means meet the requirements of the Louisiana Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, as provided in R.S. 9:2601 et seq. C. This Section shall apply to all lessors of property to be used as a lessee's primary residence except for owner-occupied buildings consisting of no more than four units. D. No person shall have a cause of action against a lessor or a lessor's agents or employees for any alleged violation of this Section, and a lessor and a lessor's agents and employees are hereby immune from any and all causes of action for alleged violations of this Section.